"You ask me the same question last year" - A frustrated Giannis Antetokounmpo is furious at a reporter after Bucks are sent fishing
Giannis Antetokounmpo cut a frustrated figure after the Milwaukee Bucks' first-round series loss against the No. 8 seed Miami Heat. The Bucks lost 4-1 after dropping Game 5 in OT by a 128-126 margin.
Bucks' beat reporter, The Athletic's Eric Nehm, asked Antetokounmpo if this season was a failure for Milwaukee after their shocking loss against Miami, to which the two-time MVP replied, saying (via Matt Reynoldson on Twitter):
"You asked me the same question last year, Eric. Okay. Do you get a promotion every year? On your job, no right, so every year you work is a failure? Yes or no? No. Every year you work, you work towards something. Towards a goal, right?
"Which is to get a promotion, to be able to take care of your family... It's not a failure, it's steps to success... Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championships, the other nine years, was it failure? "
Wow. This is the most frustrated I've ever seen Giannis Antetokounmpo in a press conference.
Here's his response to a question on if he believes this season is a failure:
(via @BallySportWI) https://t.co/sJ97K5kMYG
Giannis Antetokounmpo has always displayed poise regardless of the situation in press conferences. However, it wasn't surprising to see him lose his calm after losing to the Heat. The Bucks finished with the best record and were favorites to win it all entering the postseason.
Their early exit from the playoffs wasn't pretty after they blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 4 and a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter of the elimination Game 5 contest.
It was Milwaukee's series to lose as they could've easily been on top at this stage with a 3-2 lead, entering Game 6 on the road.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has a rough night shooting from the foul line in a season-ending loss
Giannis Antetokounmpo battled a tailbone injury over the last two games with the Milwaukee Bucks down 2-1 in their first-round series against the eighth-seeded Miami Heat. However, the "Greek Freak's" return didn't make much difference for the two-time champions.
Antetokounmpo had a decent Game 4 outing, tallying 26 points on 12-of-22 shooting. He put up the big numbers in Game 5, scoring 38 points on 51.9% shooting. However, Giannis missed 13 of his 23 free throw attempts in a two-point elimination game loss. Maintaining a double-digit lead in a playoff series would always be an uphill task, especially against a gritty team like the Heat.
"He's not a failure of a player, but is it a failure of a season? I would say yes."
-Shaq on Giannis and the Bucks falling in the first round to the Heat https://t.co/XKRt2GNfmv
Giannis Antetokounmpo missed clutch free throws down the stretch. The Bucks would've easily lived to fight another day if he hadn't missed over 50% of his free throws.